Kathy Willens, The Associated PressDerek Jeter is Major League Baseball's most marketable player, according to SportsBusiness Daily's exclusive survey of sports business execs and media personalities.

Now in his third decade as the face of baseball’s most popular and global brand, Derek Jeter is Major League Baseball's most marketable player, according to SportsBusiness Daily's exclusive survey of sports business execs and media personalities.

Coverage led Monday's issue of the Daily and it included one stunning outcome.

The Yankee captain, who also topped previous surveys in '05 and '03, earned 80% of all first-place votes. Thanks to on-field success and sponsors such as Nike, Gatorade and Gillette, Jeter has cemented himself as MLB's biggest name. Following Jeter on the list are Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, the reigning NL and AL MVPs, respectively. Experts cite the Cardinals slugger's consistency and clean image as two of his strongest attributes, while Mauer's dedication to his native Minneapolis/St. Paul region drives his Madison Avenue appeal.

Right behind Mauer is rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals pitcher who ranks fourth on our list after just seven weeks in the major leagues. Strasburg also received the second-most first-place votes (3), an indication that baseball is thirsty for a new star ready to assume the spotlight once Jeter hangs up his cleats. Phillies slugger Ryan Howard rounds out the top five and Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bays Rays is sixth.

Looking at the results, according to the Daily, it is clear Corporate America wants to stay far away from those implicated, in any way, in baseball’s steroid era. Alex Rodriguez dropped seven spots from the '05 survey after he admitted to performance-enhancing drug use, while David Ortiz (10th in ’05) and Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez were listed on just two and one of the 49 ballots, respectively.

“I think the marketability of these stars is far from being complete,” said rEvolution President & CEO John Rowady. “Those guys are superstars. It’s a huge issue. If [sponsors] are not already involved with them, they’re going to wait and see. They obviously don’t want any of the backlash that will occur just by being associated with the storyline. Sponsors are under too much scrutiny right now across the board.”

The N.Y. Daily News’ Mark Feinsand agrees, especially when it comes to Rodriguez. “He’s still in the big market, and he actually on the field has accomplished more now than he had in any other years now that he won the World Series and had the big October,” he said. “I think once the steroids scandal hit him, that pretty much marked away his marketability. You haven’t seen any of those guys involved in the drug scandals stay in terms of marketing and advertising.”

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